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What are you thinkin man? This time it's not even accident. You should know better.

I really like my Red Wings I got recently. Made in USA - hand stitched leather and all that business. $197 with my military discount and worth every penny. Comfortable, ANSI and CSA certified steel toes, puncture resistant sole plate..... lovin it.

GD

Well, the kicker is I did get steel toe boots. I must have been dead on my feet tired when I bought them, cuz when I put them on the next morning, they were like 3 sizes too big, and had absolutely zero flex in the sole. They were THE most uncomfortable thing I have ever put on my feet, aside from a rear diff and a ripper shank . SO I was not able to wear them that day..... Im going to make a run to Big R and invest in some GOOD steel toe boots ASAP though.

Try on a pair of Red Wings or Danner's. Either will cost you, but they will last 10x longer for roughly 2x-3x the price of the chinese stuff. I'm told the sole's wear like iron on these - he showed me a pair of his own that were 4 or 5 years old and still looked ok - plus they can be re-soled if the uppers are still in good shape (probably unlikely for me). I get free stiching repair, free oiling, and free laces for life with my Red Wings! When I bought them I mentioned to the guy that I wasn't sure about the braided (nylon or cotton) laces (no good around welding and cutting as I'm sure you know) - he said "no problem" and produced a pair of leather laces for me immediately. Free of charge.

Try on a pair of Red Wings or Danner's. Either will cost you, but they will last 10x longer for roughly 2x-3x the price of the chinese stuff. I'm told the sole's wear like iron on these - he showed me a pair of his own that were 4 or 5 years old and still looked ok - plus they can be re-soled if the uppers are still in good shape (probably unlikely for me). I get free stiching repair, free oiling, and free laces for life with my Red Wings! When I bought them I mentioned to the guy that I wasn't sure about the braided (nylon or cotton) laces (no good around welding and cutting as I'm sure you know) - he said "no problem" and produced a pair of leather laces for me immediately. Free of charge.

GD

Yeah, I'll have to look into some good boots like those. The problem I had with my old Steel Toes was the synthetic upper materials liked to burn through when slag and sparks would land on them and the laces were a joke. They were quite comfy though, and at $20 a pair, lasted me about 6 months till they split at the seams... But I want something better this time.

Yeah - no synthetics on mine. There is some fabric and a bit of cusioning on the back of the tounge and such to pad the lace area but that's it. That's the problem I had with cheap one's as well - the insides would wear out before the outsides! There would be holes in the crappy synthetics on the inside of the heels and they would be all broken down and no arch support left in a matter of months.

These Red Wings are 100% leather in the inside of the heel and amazingly they are just as comfortable! Properly stiched by a well-trained american boot craftsman makes all the difference I suspect. Seems like the cheap one's aren't stiched very accurately so in order to conform to the foot and not be real uncomfortable they use soft cotton fabrics and foam in the heel and upper. No beuno.

They're an XT in more ways than one.Efficient as hell, but not always the best quality

Wow I'm pitiful.Anywho, I second getting a good pair of boots that fit your feet and wearwell.I don't buy these $300 jobbers everybody's been talking about, but I don'tbuy total crap either.My boots aren't steel toe, but are a hardened toe with a steel shank that'llsmash a nail (I accidentally found that one out)Response gear 8" Waterproof boots.They're waterproof from the sole to the top of the boot (as long you tiethem tight enough, don't ask how I found that out)

But they retail for $80-90 but I wait for sales at Big 5 and get them for $20-30 when my old pair dies.And it took me 4 years to kill my last pair to the point I could not wearthem anymore.And the sole was still attached (for the most part)

Whites, Danners, Vibergs, and a couple others. They are all the tops, and most expensive for darn good reason. As with most everything; you get what you pay for. I've had a custom dipped pair of Vibergs for about 6 years now. They were so good after 4 years; I went and paid the $400 for a backup set. I've worn the new set twice. My Vibergs are by far the most comfortable "shoes" I have ever owned, and even the 12 eyelets doesn't compell me to often wear other things. After 6 years, I'm finally getting to the point that I should get around to getting them resouled. I'd bet they'd last another 2 without doing that. If you look at the time that these boots have lasted me; I'll be getting away cheap for footwear. Take care of them, and they'll take care of you. I use Obenaufs, and Kiwi like a mother, and it's actually pretty hard to tell my new set from my old set without looking at the souls.

Another thing you may want to consider is composite toes. My Vibergs are CF toes, and after having them; I wouldn't ever consider getting steel toes again. Steel is great, but, it does have its' downfalls. Aside from the theory of: What if something REALLLLLLLY heavy ever falls on my toes? IE The steel toes act as an apendage shear... theory. I would like to point out the more realistic aspects of composite toes over steel toes. Anyone whos had that many pairs of steel toed boots knows that they aren't the most ideal for this time of year, especially once the snow hits the ground. Much time walking around in snow with the steel toes, and conduction turns into a frosty B****. Even with really good socks. Composites like CF, and some plastics don't transfer the cold quite so harshly. The other aspect is weight. Not like a set of steel toes is going to kill you, but, I'm all about the research, and my Vibergs are stupid light. Even with heavy gram leather, and reinforcement shanks; they are some of the lightest boots around. So anyways, just wanted to point out a few more things. Do some research, and buy the best boot available for you. The Vibergs were definitely the best available for me, and the shape of my hoof. I'd heavily recommend them to anyone looking for an amazingly well built boot.

Nice boot thread there, Bill!
That said...I'm with GD. Redwings are prob the cheapest US-made boots available, and still soooooooo much better than any chinese one. I wear nothing else: Work, play, grocery shopping, whatever. Their website shows different ratings for the boots, like mine are excellent for standing on concrete continuously. I'm sure that the $3-400 boots are worth it, but I spent half that.